Suggestions to revise Educational Curriculum for different class levels in schools

To:
Honorable Smriti Irani
Education Minister
Government of India
 
Dear Honorable Smriti Irani:
 
Let us remember the words of Bhartihari written in Neeti Shatakam:
 
“Knowledge is a special beauty of man. It is a hidden treasure. It gives one happiness, enjoyment and fame. It is the teacher of great teachers. It is one’s relative when he is in a strange place. It is the God divine. It is knowledge that is to be worshipped not money. One who is bereft of knowledge is a beast.”
 
            Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) is very happy to know that you are working tirelessly to revamp the school curriculum from Class I and all the way up to college education to reflect the true nature of the cultural heritage of Bharath. You should make every effort to incorporate the rich cultural heritage dating back to thousands of years, morals that were the pinnacle of the country, and the scriptures that have addressed any and all issues you can find under the sun.
 
            Emphasis should be made to assure that values, morals, and character development from age five and up should be at the core of our educational system. This kind of value system would instill confidence, trust, conviction, and faith in the universal principles, and develop self-awareness and determination to succeed. It should mold, shape and chisel the personality of the students. Mutual respect, equality, freedom, ahimsa, peaceful coexistence, and justice culled from our ancient scriptures should be the hallmark of our youth years to come to appreciate the greatness, glory, grandeur, and grandness of the majesty of our culture.
 
            Till recently, most of the books written by “Marxists, Muslims and Western historians” are so slanted, abusive, hateful, repulsive and intolerable to the true history of India, so derogatory to the national freedom fighters, so demonizing to Sanatana dharma, so negligent of the contributions of great emperors to establish Hindutva, and so boastful of the Muslim aggressors as contributors to the Indian culture.  Dr. Subramanian Swamy was calling for burning of the writings by Nehruvian historians.  We feel that its is time to fire all these left wing historians who have stabbed the Mother India for many decades and employ those scholars who appreciate the richness of the Sanatana Dharma into National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT),  Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) , National Censor Board and other agencies. It is time to reclaim what is lost, revamp the whole school curriculum, and rewrite the history debunking these leftwing Nehruvian historians.
 
            Following are the topics that should be included in the curriculum depending on the level of education:
 
Bhagavad Gita.

            Mere chanting of few verses is enough to awaken the consciousness of the individual and maintain the balance between the body, mind and soul. In fact, it improves the brain capacity to absorb the knowledge; teach the individual the responsibility of their dharma; emphasize the importance of bhakti, Jnana, karma and raja yoga; equip the individual fearless and give the needed strength to face the problems at hand; encourages one to think and uphold the dharma to protect human existence; and so on. No age is bar to learn and chant Bhagavad Gita. As young as three year olds chant the divine song.  Its message is unmatched, unparalleled and unrivalled.
 
            According to Ralph Waldo Emerson: “I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.”
 
Ramayana

            Rama’s name is on the lips of every Hindu.  He taught us to be a perfect son, a perfect brother, perfect husband, a perfect enemy, and a perfect king. He taught us how to live according to dharma in the face of un-surmountable hurdles.
 
            Lord Rama, who is known for his compassion, gentleness, kindness, righteousness, non-hatred, and integrity, has served as role model for all of us to follow for millennia.  His respect for father and obedience to his command was unparalleled that all humanity should emulate. Guru-Sishya relationship was emboldened in Ramayana for all of us follow, cherish and nurture, especially in the modern society.
 
            Sita, Lakshmana, Bharatha, Dasaratha, Jataayu, Vali, Vibhishana, and Lord Hanuman have shaped the mind, body and soul of Bharath for many millennia. Every character teaches us how to live a dharmic life and how to establish Ramarajya where justice is rendered without consideration for the name and fame. Ramayana taught us the richness of valor, dharma, loyalty, mutual respect, bhakti, spirituality, wisdom and Jnana to be followed in daily life to uplift the spirit of human life. The message of Ramayana spread all over Asia and even today its popularity is unabated in countries like Cambodia, Java, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Sumatra, Thailand, Mauritius, Bali and other countries.
 
Mahabharata.

            Mahabharata is one of the greatest epics and every single character teaches us the richness of our culture and traditions, morals and ethics that surpass the time. Numerous are the characters and numerous are the lessons one can learn from Mahabharata. Yudhishtira taught us how to follow dharma in face of numerous difficulties also the weakness of (gambling) that can bring down the kingdom; Bhishma taught us how to fulfill the wishes of his father and sacrificed his life as well as keeping his word for the rest of life and maintain celibacy; King Santanu taught us danger of yielding to sensate pleasure and the weakness toward other sex; Karna taught us the consequences of blind loyalty and passion for power as well as the generous nature of dana (gift); Dhritarashtra taught us how blind love for children can cause untold misery and destruction for the humanity, also how passion for children can smog the moral and impartial judgment; Draupadi taught us how even a small weakness resulted in a giggle lead to war of destruction and also taught us how to behave with the husbands; and other characters such as Pandu, Veda Vyasa, Kunti, Dushyasana, Shikhandi, Satyavati and others were equally important in teaching us the morals and code of conduct.
 
            Finally the teaching of Bhagavad Gita by Lord Krishna to Arjuna about the responsibility of a Kshatriya and in general about Swadharma is unmatched humanity in recognizing the importance of Sthitipragna.
 
Puranic Stories and Morals

            In Naimisharanya, the assembled sages worshipped the learned Romaharshana and said, “Please tell us the stories of the Puranas. Who created the universe, who is its preserver and who will destroy it? Please instruct us in all these mysteries.” There are 18 main Puranas and18 upapuranas that describe the various aspects of cosmology and are considered the storehouse of stories that enriched with morals and traditions; manifestations of  (dasavataras) Vishnu incarnations, and the paths of karma, bhakti and Jnana yogas.  In fact they even described the origin of the universe, life cycles, trials, tribulations and richness of human life, respect for living and nonliving elements and scientific nature of the universe.  They talk about the worship services, numerous samskaras, formation of earth, and mathematical expressions of the universe. They give us the experiences of people through their stories, symbols and rituals. Every community has its own reality, but underneath all these realities there is an underlying theme governing the basic principles and morals that guide the human life.
 
Panchatantra Stories

            Panchatantra is a collection stories that teach us how to behave in a particular situation; how to solve the problems one faces; whom to trust and not to trust; how to keep your word against all odds; how to use your intellect instead of arms; how to avoid distrust among friends; how one should not deny the shelter to a needy person; how one should work toward accumulation of wealth and how to protect it; and how one should share their wealth and to whom.
 
            It is worth remembering the words of Arthur W Ryder: “The Panchatantra contains the most widely known stories in the world. If it is further declared that the Panchatantra is the best collection of stories in the world, the assertion could hardly be disproved, and would probably command the assent of those possessing the knowledge for a judgment.”
 
            President Obama acknowledges the simple yet moral principle that guided the Bharat for many millennia in a speech delivered to Indian Parliament on November 2010.  He said: It’s a simple lesson contained in that collection of stories which has guided Indians for centuries —- the Panchatantra. And it’s the spirit of the inscription seen by all who enter this great hall: “That one is mine and the other a stranger is the concept of little minds. But to the large-hearted, the world itself is their family.”
 
National Heroes

            We should teach the national heroes who fought for the independence of India from British. The previous governments tarnished their reputation. They were called extremists, militants and even terrorists.  Balagangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, Bipin Chandra Pal, Subhash Chandra Bose, Veer Savarkar, Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru, Sukhdev, Chandrasekhar Azhad, Vasudev Balwant Phadke, Nathuram Godse, Chapekar brothers and many more sacrificed their life in order to guarantee freedom for the future generations. It is time to teach about their heroism, their love for Bharath, their struggles with British rulers, their imprisonment, their hangings and/or suffering. Their martyrdom is unparalleled and unmatched. They cheerfully sacrificed their life for the sake of the people of Bharat to enjoy their unbridled freedom with dignity and pride.
 
Scientific achievements
           
            It is time to create pride among our youth about our scientific achievements. It was the Yogic seers who invented many mathematical calculations such as Zero, Decimals, Phi, Geometry, Algebra, computer language and more. Arbybhatta was the champion of Astronomy and Mathematics, Bhaskaracharya was the genius of Algebra, Acharya Kanad was the founder of Atomic Theory, Naragrjuna was the wizard of Chemical Science, Acharya Charaka was the father of Medicine, Acharya Sushruta was the champion of Plastic Surgery, Varahamihra was the eminent Astronomer and Astrology, Patanjali was the father of Yoga Sutras, Acharya Bharadwaja was the pioneer of Aviation Technology, Acharya Kapila was the father of cosmology, and many more.
           
Great Saints of India

            School books should include the history, message and glory of great saints of India such as Adi Sankara, Madhvacharya, Ramanujacharya, Meerabai, Kabir, Tukaram, Eknath, Gnaneswar, Namdev, Bhagawan Nityananda, Satya Saibaba, Sri Pada Vallabha, Narasimha Swamy, Samarth Ramdas, Veda Vyasa, Valmiki, Sri Aurobindo, Muktananda, Gorakhnad, Sri Prabhupada, Chinmayananda, Ramana Maharishi Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekananda and host of others. They have kept alive the richness of our culture in spite of the attempts destroy the ancient civilization.
 
            The saints have played significant role in the preservation propagating the ideas and philosophies that were necessary to bring unity and much needed reforms to bring the appropriate changes in the society.  Considering the Mughal domination of the India, the saints veered and helped bhaktas toward Bhakti marga, the path of devotion, instead encouraging them to conduct Temples pujas, especially North India.
 
Hindu Temples – History and relevance
 
            It is time to know the power, energy, and vibrations present in Hindu Temples. They are the place of worship where devotees worship their chosen Gods at different times day in and day out.  Devotees go to the Hindu Temples to experience the infinite divine power through their individual prayers as well as collective worship. Hindu Temples have been built over more than twenty centuries providing opportunity to practice their social, religious and cultural milieu.  Each Temple is dedicated to one of the manifestation of infinite power of the unfathomable divinity of the Almighty. Every Temple will have a sanctum sanctorum with a presiding Deity who represents the power and energy of GOD.  Hindus believe that God is ever powerful, all pervasive, everywhere and everything is in God.
 
            The Hindu Temples have served as centers of learning and knowledge; foci for social gathering; institutes for art, dance and music; hubs for upholding the dharmic values; nucleus for peace and nonviolence; lighthouses for philosophy and spirituality, cornerstones for worship services; promoters of age old, time tested universal values; institutes for yoga and meditation; holy places for conducting different festivals and rituals; and nexus for expressing devotion through music, singing and chanting; and centers for social services.  
 
Gomata

            Cow is revered, respected and honored and is regarded as a holy mother. Cows milk is light and easily digestible for a child. Its products such as milk, ghee, urine, cow dung and curd, and are considered sacred and has many medicinal values that improve the health of the humans and purifies the climate.  Cow is considered as Kamadhenu (wish fulfilling Deity). Lord Krishna worshipped cows, used to play flute that attracted the cows and used assemble around him.
 
            All the scriptures such as Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Manusmriti, and others extoll the virtues of the cow. All the Gods reside in her and killing her is considered the most heinous crime. It is often said “jivantu avadghnyah ta me vishasya dushanih” meaning that let cows live without slaughter for their whole life-they remove poison and toxins. Many sages, many Hindu Temples and numerous Ashrams maintained Goshalas (cow shelters) for centuries recognizing the numerous benefits that accrue from the cows.
           
Yoga, Meditation and Suryanamaskar

Yoga classes, meditation and Suryanamaskar exercises must be introduced at all levels of classes in the school system to ward off stress and disease. Patanjali Yoga Sutras has played vital role in integrating the body, mind and soul. The eight limbs of Yoga according to Patanjali are:
 
Yama focuses at internal purification or moral code
Niyama focuses at external purity or personal discipline
Asana deals with the performance of various postures of Yoga
Pranayama is breath control
Pratyahara result in withdrawal of sense organs
Dharana is concentration
Dhyana is meditation
Samadhi is the final state of spiritual absorption
 
            Voluminous literature is available to show the mental and physical health benefits of yoga and meditation. Not only survey studies have provided ample evidence to prove the benefits of these exercises, neuro-imaging and genomics technology used to measure physiological changes in the brain and body in greater detail. “There is a true biological effect,” said Denninger, director of research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of Harvard Medical School’s teaching hospitals. “The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body, not just in the brain.”
 
            Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn, University of California at Los Angeles, found that 12 minutes of daily yoga meditation for eight weeks increased telomerase activity by 43 percent, suggesting an improvement in stress-induced aging. Similarly, Sophia Dunn of King’s College London, “Yoga and meditation are tools for enabling us to swim in difficult waters.”
 
Hindu Holocaust

            It is high time that all the students learn the unadulterated, unbiased, impartial, balanced and true history of India.  Last ten centuries of atrocities, murders, terrorism, rape, slavery and genocide inflicted on Hindus must be taught in the schools. We have a moral responsibility to learn from the past; lest we will commit the same mistakes and make our future generation the sacrificial lambs in the hands of Muslims and Christians.
 
            Let us remember the words of former President of India, Dr. Abdul Kalam: “In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards, the Greeks, the Portuguese, the Mughals, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the freedom of others.”
 
            India welcomed all the religions with open hands only to be stabbed by Muslims and Christians. According to Elst, Muslims have massacred as many as 80 million Hindus between the years 1000 and 1525. “Hindu Kush” mountain is the testimony to that cruel and barbaric slaughter of Hindus. Hindu Kush means slaughter of Hindus. Millions of Hindus, who refused to be converted to Islam, were taken to the top of this mountain and killed only to see the blood flow from the mountain to the streets below. One of the Afghan historians, Kondamir, had written that as many as 1,500,000 Hindus were killed by Muslims in one of their invasions in the city of Heart in Afghanistan. Students should be aware of this darkest period in the history where Hindus were subjected to long monotonous vicious, brutal, heartless and inhuman rape, torture and slaughter. Let us not make our Hindus the beasts without the knowledge of their history as Bhartrihari mentioned.
 
Other TOPIC:

            Students should also be given realistic picture of nearly ten centuries of brutal regimes that inflicted untold misery to the citizens of Bharath. How many Temples were rampage, how many Murthies were broken to pieces, how the remnants of Hindu Gods statues were used to build the Mosques, how many women were subjected rapes, how many Hindus were massacred at Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan, how many Temples were converted to Mosques, how many Christians are converting the Hindus with deception and allurement, how minority appeasement is affecting the quality education and such similar issues should be addresses. Vast literature dealing with “Islamic onslaught” and “Goa Inquisition” should also be included to know the history of denial of fundamental rights to Hindus.
 
            Also school text books should also include as to how Krishna Janma Sthala was destroyed, how Ayodhya was converted to Babri Masjid, how Kashi Vishwanath Temple was destroyed and built Mosque in front of the Temple, and how more than 2000 Temples were converted to Mosques.
 
            George Santayana, a Spanish-born American author of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, said that, “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.” Let us not repeat the mistakes, let us not forget our forefathers, let us not overlook our rich cultural heritage and let us not be the cause to sacrifice the lives of our children and grandchildren.
 
            (NOTE: This is a modified version of a letter submitted to Honorable Smriti Irani in the first week of September by Prakasarao Velagapudi and Ghazal Srinivas).
 

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